Israel-Hamas War Highlights: US vetoes UN resolution demanding Gaza ceasefire as Israel tanks push deeper into Gaza City

The Israeli military on Friday announced that a high-ranking military commander of Hamas was killed in an airstrike in Gaza. According to the IDF, Sim Mahmoud Yusuf Abu Alkhir, the Deputy Head of Military Intelligence in Hamas’ Bureij Battalion, was eliminated in an airstrike in northern Gaza. Read More

Japan's Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya stated that Japan does not plan to recognize a Palestinian state at upcoming UN meetings, but emphasized the country's support for a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians.

Iwaya noted that while voices calling for recognition are growing louder, the government must carefully consider what will truly lead to a two-state solution.

Japan will respond if Israel takes further steps that would undermine this solution, and potential moves may include recognizing a Palestinian state or other options.

Israel shut the sole gateway between the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Jordan on Friday, a day after a driver bringing humanitarian aid from Jordan for Gaza opened fire and killed two Israeli military personnel there. The Israeli Airports Authority, which operates the Allenby Bridge crossing, announced that it would be closed until further notice.

The two crossings between Israel itself and Jordan were also affected, with the Jordan River crossing in the north shut and the Rabin crossing in the south remaining open only for workers. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack at the Allenby Bridge, which is a key route for trade between Jordan and Israel and the only gateway for more than 3 million Palestinians in the West Bank to reach Jordan and the wider world.

(Reuters)

At least four people have died since dawn across the Gaza Strip, hospital sources told Al Jazeera. The death toll continues to climb as Israeli forces step up airstrikes and ground operations. According to Al Jazeera, Israel’s campaign in Gaza has killed at least 65,141 people and injured 1,65,925 since October 2023, with thousands more believed trapped under the rubble of collapsed buildings.

Protests against Israeli teams have disrupted sports across Europe. A cycling race in Spain was interrupted, and fans booed Israel’s national anthem at a basketball game in Poland. Several countries have also threatened to boycott next year’s Eurovision Song Contest if Israel competes. Critics say Israel should face sporting exclusions similar to Russia after its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, though major bodies like the IOC and FIFA have allowed Israeli athletes to compete under their national flag.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez sided with pro-Palestinian protesters at the Spanish Vuelta race, saying Israel should be boycotted from sports until the “barbarity” in Gaza ends. Spain’s public broadcaster and three other European nations threatened not to carry Eurovision if Israel participates. Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar called Sánchez “an antisemite and a liar”.

Federations face protests but must follow competition rules. Basketball Ireland chief executive John Feehan said, “Facing Israel in these circumstances is not a scenario we would wish. But there has been no change in Israel’s status within sport.” Italian soccer leader Gabriele Gravina warned that refusing to play Israel in World Cup qualifiers would lead to a forfeit, potentially aiding Israel’s qualification. Fans have voiced dissent at events across Europe. At Eurobasket in Katowice, Israel’s anthem was booed, while Paris Saint-Germain supporters displayed “Stop Genocide In Gaza” banners in Munich. Canada hosted Israel behind closed doors at the Davis Cup over safety concerns.

(With inputs from AP)

The US on Thursday vetoed a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages, arguing it did not adequately condemn Hamas. The 14 other council members supported the text, which described Gaza’s situation as “catastrophic” and urged Israel to lift restrictions on aid for 2.1 million Palestinians. “US opposition to this resolution will come as no surprise,” senior policy adviser Morgan Ortagus said, adding it “fails to condemn Hamas or recognise Israel’s right to defend itself” and contains “performative action designed to draw a veto.”

Palestinian envoy Riyad Mansour said he could “imagine the anger and frustration” of Palestinians hoping the council would end their “nightmare.” Algeria, which led the draft, apologised for not doing enough to protect civilians, while Israel’s ambassador Danny Danon said the resolution “will not release the hostages and will not bring security to the region.” The veto comes as Israeli forces press deeper into Gaza City in a ground offensive to “destroy Hamas’ military infrastructure,” which could take months. UN experts have accused Israel of committing genocide, while an AP-NORC poll shows nearly half of Americans believe Israel’s response in Gaza has “gone too far.”

(With inputs from AP)

United Nations agencies and Oxfam voiced grave concerns on Wednesday about food running out in northern Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of people are experiencing famine, after Israel closed the only operational crossing there last week.

Israel began its long-expected ground assault on Gaza City in the north on Tuesday and is stepping up efforts to empty the city of civilians by opening an additional route southwards.

Hundreds of thousands of people are sheltering in the city and many are reluctant to follow Israel's orders to move because of dangers along the route, dire conditions, a lack of food to the south, and fear of permanent displacement.

"There are grave concerns over fuel and food stock depletion in a matter of days as there are now no direct aid entry points into northern Gaza and resupply from south to north is increasingly challenging due to mounting road congestion and insecurity," the U.N. humanitarian office (OCHA) said in a statement.

The Zikim Crossing was shut on September 12 and no aid groups have been able to import supplies since, it said.

- Reuters

The European Union on Wednesday laid out its toughest plan yet to pressure Israel to end the war in Gaza as Palestinians fled en masse from Israeli tanks, drones and troops pushing deeper into the coastal enclave ravaged by 23 months of war.

Kaja Kallas, the EU's foreign policy chief, urged the 27 member nations to increase tariffs on some Israeli goods and impose sanctions on Israeli settlers, and two members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Cabinet - National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. She also proposed sanctioning 10 Hamas leaders.

“We are proposing these measures not to punish Israel or Israel people, but to really try to pressure (the) Israeli government to change course and to end the human suffering in Gaza," Kallas said at a press conference in Brussels. "The war needs to end, the suffering must stop, and all hostages must be released.” The sanctions would freeze any of the individuals' European assets and ban travel within the EU.

- AP

Doctors Without Borders said on Wednesday it was appalled by the death of one of its nurses, who died on Tuesday from shrapnel wounds caused by an Israeli airstrike near his tent five days earlier.

The nurse, Hussein Alnajjar, was a father of three who worked at the international organisation's medical clinic in Deir al Balah and Khan Younis since January of last year. His sister-in-law and nephew were injured in the same airstrike. He is the thirteenth Doctors Without Borders medic to be killed since the war in Gaza began.

"We are outraged that military violence continues to kill our Palestinian colleagues," the organisation said in a statement. At least 540 aid workers have been killed in Israel's nearly two-year-old offensive against Hamas militants, launched after the deadly October 7, 2023, cross-border attacks by Hamas-led militants, according to the latest data by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. About 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage in the October 7 attacks, according to Israeli tallies.

- Reuters

Exhaustion, despair and anger are grinding away at Ne'man Abu Jarad. Once again, for the 11th time, he and his family have been forced to uproot and move across the Gaza Strip.

“It’s a renewal of the torture. We’re not being displaced, we’re dying,” Ne'man said last week as the family packed up their possessions and tents in Gaza City to escape escalating Israel bombardment ahead of a planned invasion of the city.

The next day, they unpacked in southern Gaza on barren former agricultural land outside the city of Khan Younis, unsure where they would now find food and water.

This has been the Abu Jarads’ life for nearly two years, since fleeing their home in the far north of Gaza days after Israel launched its onslaught in response to Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack. Like countless Palestinian families, they have fled the length of Gaza and back, forced to move every few months as Israel attacks each new shelter.

- AP

The Israeli military said it was opening an additional route for 48 hours that Palestinians could use to leave Gaza City as it stepped up efforts on Wednesday to empty the city of civilians and confront thousands of Hamas combatants.

Hundreds of thousands of people are sheltering in the city and many are reluctant to follow Israel's orders to move south because of dangers along the way, dire conditions, a lack of food in the southern area and fear of permanent displacement.

"Even if we want to leave Gaza City, is there any guarantee we would be able to come back? Will the war ever end? That's why I prefer to die here, in Sabra, my neighbourhood," Ahmed, a schoolteacher, said by phone. At least 63 people were killed by Israeli strikes and gunfire across the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, with most of the casualties in Gaza City, local health authorities said.

- Reuters

Israeli troops and tanks pushed deeper into Gaza City on Wednesday as more people fled the devastated area, and strikes cut off phone and internet services, making it harder for Palestinians to summon ambulances during the military's new offensive.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian death toll in the Israel-Hamas war surpassed 65,000, local health officials said. The Israeli military said air force and artillery units have struck the city more than 150 times in the last few days, ahead of ground troops moving in.

The strikes toppled high-rise towers in areas with densely populated tent camps. Israel claims the towers were being used by Hamas to watch troops. Regulators said the severed phone and internet services hindered the ability of Palestinians to call for help, coordinate evacuations or share details of the offensive that began Monday and aims to take full control of the city.

Overnight strikes killed at least 16 people, including women and children, hospital officials reported. The death count in Gaza climbed to 65,062, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which is part of the Hamas-run government.

- AP

Israeli fighter jets over the Red Sea launched ballistic missiles to target Hamas leaders in Qatar last week, a US defense official said, in what was a novel method likely designed to overcome the energy-rich country’s air defenses and avoid entering any Mideast nation’s airspace.

The September 9 attack, which killed six people in Qatar's capital, Doha, upended months of diplomacy mediated by the Arabian Peninsula nation to reach a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war that has devastated the Gaza Strip over nearly two years.

About a week after the missile launch, Israel began a ground offensive targeting Gaza City. That has reignited anger in the region over the war, while the Doha attack has raised fears in other countries that they, too, could be struck. The Israeli military took advantage of the element of surprise by firing in a direction probably not anticipated by Qatar or the United States, whose Mideast forward headquarters operates out of Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.

- AP

Israel’s military announced Wednesday that a new evacuation corridor would briefly open along Gaza’s coastline, giving northern residents two days to head south. Col. Avichay Adraee, the army’s Arabic-language spokesperson, said the passage would open at noon.

But reaching safety has become increasingly difficult. Internet and phone services in northern Gaza collapsed earlier in the day after Israeli strikes severed main network lines, according to the Palestinian Telecommunications Regulatory Authority in the West Bank. The blackout left many residents of Gaza City unreachable, with repeated attempts to contact them failing. (AP)

Israeli forces pressed on with a new ground offensive in Gaza City Wednesday as strikes overnight across the Palestinian territory killed at least 16 people, including women and children, hospital officials said.

Hundreds of thousands remained in the city, the territory’s largest and already in ruins from nearly two years of war and struggling with a famine. The latest Israeli operation, which started Tuesday, further escalates a conflict that has roiled the Middle East and likely pushes any ceasefire farther out of reach. The military, which says it wants to “destroy Hamas’ military infrastructure” hasn’t given a timeline for the offensive, but there were indications it could take months.

-AP

A coalition of leading aid groups Wednesday urged the international community to take stronger measures to stop Israel's offensive on Gaza City after a commission of UN experts found Israel was committing genocide in Gaza.

“What we are witnessing in Gaza is not only an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe, but what the UN Commission of Inquiry has now concluded is a genocide,” read the statement from the aid groups. “States must use every available political, economic, and legal tool at their disposal to intervene. Rhetoric and half measures are not enough. This moment demands decisive action."The message was signed by leaders of over 20 aid organizations operating in Gaza, including the Norwegian Refugee Council, Anera and Save the Children.

-AP

Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels activated their air defenses after Israel launched airstrikes on the port city of Hodeida, a spokesperson for the group said. “Our air defenses are currently confronting the Israeli aircrafts that are launching an aggression against our country,” spokesperson Yayha Saree posted on X.

The Israeli military said in an update that it struck “military infrastructure” used by the Houthis at the port of Hodeida. “The Hudaydah Port is used by the Houthi terrorist regime for the transfer of weapons supplied by the Iranian regime, in order to execute attacks against the State of Israel and its allies,” the statement read.

Saree said in a statement that the Houthi air defenses “caused great confusion” for Israeli aircraft and forced some combat formations to leave Yemeni airspace before carrying out the attacks, thwarting Israel's incursion deep into Yemen.

- AP

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Tuesday that Israel's ground offensive in Gaza will worsen the situation in the enclave.

"Israel's ground offensive in Gaza will make an already desperate situation even worse," Kallas wrote on social media platform X.

"It will mean more death, more destruction & more displacement," she said, noting that the European Commission will present measures on Wednesday to pressure the Israeli government to change course.

Tel Aviv shares fell for a fifth straight session on Tuesday, weighed down by Israel's escalation against Hamas in Gaza and day-old comments from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel was facing isolation.

Prices bounced off session lows after Netanyahu made more upbeat remarks on Tuesday. After falling more than 2% early in the session, the blue-chip Tel Aviv 35 index closed down 0.1% and the broader TA-125 ended 0.3% lower. Indices had hit all-time highs last week.

Stocks began to slide on Monday afternoon, after Netanyahu warned of economic sanctions and global isolation arising from negative publicity abroad over the nearly two-year Gaza war. Israel needed to become a "Super-Sparta", he said, referring to the ancient Greek city known for self-sufficiency and militarism.

- Reuters

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres has said that Israel doesn't seem to be open to a “serious negotiation” to reach a ceasefire in Gaza as Tel Aviv launched an offensive incursion on September 16 to occupy the Gaza City.

"I would like to have an immediate ceasefire, and having an immediate ceasefire, to have an international force able to protect civilians, this would be an objective that I would strongly cherish," Guterres said.

A coalition of advocacy organisations and fan groups called on European soccer federations to boycott Israel in a Times Square billboard that went live on Tuesday, kicking off the #gameoverisrael campaign months ahead of the World Cup.

The billboard went up on Tuesday in New York, which is set to host eight matches in the World Cup next year, including the final. Canada and Mexico are co-hosting the quadrennial international competition with the United States.

The campaign calls on soccer federations in Belgium, England, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Scotland, and Spain to boycott the Israel national team and ban Israeli players from domestic competitions, citing the ongoing attacks in Gaza.

"As the United States prepares to host the FIFA World Cup in 2026, Americans must not allow our stadiums to become platforms for whitewashing war crimes," said American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee National Executive Director Abed Ayoub in a statement.

- Reuters

Japan will not recognise a Palestinian state for now, a decision likely taken to maintain relations with the United States and to avoid a hardening of Israel's attitude, the Asahi newspaper reported on Wednesday, citing unidentified government sources.

Several governments, including those in Britain, France, Canada and Australia, have said they will recognise a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly this month, adding international pressure on Israel over its actions in the territory.

The US had prompted Japan to forgo the recognition of a Palestinian state through several diplomatic channels, while French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot had strongly urged his Japanese counterpart to recognise it, Kyodo news agency reported last week.

Japan has been conducting a "comprehensive assessment, including appropriate timing and modalities, of the issue of recognising Palestinian statehood," Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya told a news briefing on Tuesday.

- Reuters

A team of independent experts commissioned by the United Nations' Human Rights Council has concluded that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, issuing a report Tuesday that calls on the international community to end the genocide and act to punish those responsible for it.

The deeply documented findings by the three-member team are the latest accusations of genocide against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government as Israel wages its war in Gaza, which has killed more than 64,000 people. Israel rejected what it called a “distorted and false” report.

The Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel, which was created four years ago, has repeatedly documented alleged human rights abuses and violations in Gaza since the 2023 attacks in Israel led by Hamas, and other Palestinian areas.

- AP

Nine hours of frantic negotiation with the Israeli military. A last-minute scramble to find trucks in a devastated Gaza Strip, where fuel is in short supply. Six hours of frantic packing, carefully stacking cardboard boxes on open flatbed trucks.

With an Israeli airstrike looming, aid workers carried out a last-minute rescue mission to salvage thousands of priceless artifacts from a Gaza warehouse before the building was flattened.

The warehouse contained artifacts from over 25 years of excavations, including items from a 4th-century Byzantine monastery designated as a World Heritage Site by the UN cultural organization UNESCO, and some of the oldest known evidence of Christianity in Gaza.

The Israeli military said the building housed Hamas intelligence installations and planned to demolish it as part of their expanded military operation in Gaza City.

- AP

France has strongly condemned Israel's intensified offensive in Gaza, as per a statement released on Tuesday by the foreign ministry of France.

"France calls on Israel to end this destructive campaign, which no longer has any military rationale, and to resume negotiations as quickly as possible with a view to a ceasefire and the release of all hostages,” said the French Foreign Ministry, CNN reported.

Canada's foreign ministry on Tuesday termed Israel's new ground offensive in Gaza City "horrific."

"It worsens the humanitarian crisis and jeopardizes the release of the hostages," the foreign ministry said in a post on X. "The Government of Israel must adhere to international law," the ministry further added.

The Israeli military is in control of “widespread” areas in Gaza City, NYT reported Israeli military spokesman, Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin as saying. This follows weeks of intense campaigns in Jabalia and in the neighborhoods of Zeitoun and Sheikh Radwan.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said, "Israel's ground offensive in Gaza will make an already desperate situation even worse. It will mean more death, more destruction & more displacement."

Houthi-affiliated Al Masirah TV reported that Israeli military struck Yemen's Hodeidah port. Earlier, the Israeli military issued an evacuation order for the Yemen’s Red Sea port, and said it will attack the area.

Last Wednesday, Israel conducted airstrikes on the Iran-backed rebels in the capital of Sanaa, following a drone, launched by the militant group, breached Israel’s multilayered air defenses and slammed into a southern airport. (Reuters)

Turkish foreign ministry said the "ground offensive in Gaza is a new phase in Israel's genocide plans."

In a statement, Hamas called on the international community to intervene against Israel and its new offensive. The militant group condemned the ground operation, saying it will deepen the humanitarian “catastrophe” engulfing Gaza. It also accused the United States of enabling Tel Aviv.

An Israel Defence Forces official said ground troops were moving deeper into the enclave's main city, and that the number of soldiers would rise in coming days to confront up to 3,000 Hamas combatants the IDF believes are still in the city. (Reuters)

The Israeli military said it had issued an evacuation order on Tuesday for Yemen's Red Sea port of Hodeidah, and will attack the area in the coming hours.

Last Wednesday, Israel conducted airstrikes on the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in the capital of Sanaa, following a drone, launched by the militant group, breached Israel’s multilayered air defenses and slammed into a southern airport. (Reuters)

UN Human Rights chief Volkur Turk called on Israel to stop its operation in Gaza. "I call on Israel to stop its wanton destruction of Gaza," Turk said.

"I can only think of what it means for women, for malnourished children, for people with disabilities, if they are again attacked in this way. And I have to say the only response to this is: stop the carnage," Turk told reporters in Geneva, as quoted by news agency Reuters.

"Palestinians, Israelis scream for peace. Everyone wants an end to this, and what we see is a further escalation which is totally and utterly unacceptable," he added

Israel began the "main phase" of its major ground offensive on Tuesday, with troops moving in from Gaza City's outskirts toward its center. Airstrikes pounded the Palestinian enclave for some time in the leadup to the operation, knocking down towers in the city.

Israeli strikes in Gaza City overnight and into Tuesday killed at least 34 Palestinians, according to the Shifa Hospital, which received the bodies. The Operation was planned in August.

So far, more than 140,000 have already fled south from Gaza City since August 14, UN data shows, of a population of around 1 million people.

An official of the United Nations' children's agency said on Tuesday it was "inhumane" to expect hundreds of thousands of children to leave Gaza City as camps further south were unsafe, overcrowded and ill-equipped to receive them.

Israel announced on Tuesday the start of its long-awaited ground operation into Gaza City, the main urban centre in the enclave where Israel has ordered residents to flee. So far, more than 140,000 have already fled south from Gaza City since August 14, U.N. data shows, of a population of around 1 million people.

"It is inhumane to expect nearly half a million children, battered and traumatised by over 700 days of unrelenting conflict, to flee one hellscape and end up in another," Tess Ingram, a UNICEF spokesperson, told reporters by video link from the sprawling tent camp of Mawasi, Gaza. (Reuters)

EU commissioners will on Wednesday agree to impose new sanctions against Israel over its war in Gaza, a spokesperson for the commission said on Tuesday.

"Tomorrow, commissioners will be adopting a package of measures on Israel," spokesperson Paula Pinho told reporters.

"Specifically, a proposal to suspend certain trade provisions in the agreements between the EU and Israel." (Reuters)

The Board of Spain state broadcaster RTVE decided to quit 2026 Eurovision Song Contest if Israel participates by an absolute majority vote.

Labelling the commission of inquiry report on Gaza -- which called Tel Aviv's war on the Palestinian enclave a "genocide" -- as "scandalous" and "fake," Israeli ambassador in Geneva Daniel Meron reiterated PM Benjamin Netanyahu's call: "We are now moving ahead with our operation."

He also called the urgent Human Rights Council debate on Israel's attack on Hamas political leaders in Qatar "a one sided attack on Israel."

Hundreds attended funeral services Tuesday in for 31 Yemeni journalists who were reported killed in Israeli airstrikes last week that targeted Iran-backed Houthi rebels in the capital of Sanaa. The strikes last Wednesday followed a drone launched by the Houthis that breached Israel’s multilayered air defenses and slammed into a southern Israeli airport, blowing out glass windows and injuring one person. (AP)

Israel-Hamas war live updates: Israel will gradually increase the number of its troops in Gaza City as it estimates 40% of the residents have already moved south, where it will expand "humanitarian efforts", an Israeli military official said in a briefing on Tuesday.

- REUTERS

Israel-Hamas war live updates: An Israeli military official said on Tuesday that ground forces are advancing deeper into Gaza City, moving towards its centre, and the military is prepared to continue operations for as long as necessary to defeat Hamas.

He added that the military intended to conduct operations in Gaza City swiftly yet safely, prioritising the safety of hostages and civilians.

- REUTERS

Israel-Hamas war live updates: Israeli military official said "we are prepared to operate" in Gaza City "as long as we need to", to defeat Hamas, according to news agency Reuters.

Israel-Hamas war live updates: Israel announced the start of its long-awaited ground operation into Gaza City on Tuesday, declaring "Gaza is burning".

An Israeli military official said the Israeli Defence Forces had begun the main stage of their ground operation into Gaza City, the main urban centre in the enclave, where Israel has ordered hundreds of thousands of residents to flee.

The military gave few initial details but said its troops had begun "dismantling Hamas terrorist infrastructure in Gaza City". Residents should leave.

"Gaza is burning," Defence Minister Israel Katz posted on X. "The IDF strikes with an iron fist at the terrorist infrastructure and IDF soldiers are fighting bravely to create the conditions for the release of the hostages and the defeat of Hamas."

Residents said bombardment of the city had been ramped up dramatically over the past two days, with heavier explosions that destroyed dozens of homes, and naval boats joining tanks and planes in the bombardment of the coast.

"We have launched a significant operation in Gaza," Netanyahu said at the start of testimony in court in an ongoing corruption trial.

- REUTERS